Biden, China’s Xi hold phone call on Taiwan, AI, trade

BEIJING, Apr 03 (AP): In a phone call Tuesday, US President Joe Biden discussed AI, counternarcotics and Russian access to technology with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, the White House said.

President Biden held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since July 2022 on Tuesday, the White House announced.

The White House has yet to offer details about the call, but Biden and Xi were expected to discuss Taiwan, narcotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and China's support for Russia against Ukraine. The White House described the conversation as merely a "check-in" between the two leaders.

"The two leaders held a candid and constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including areas of cooperation and areas of difference," the White House said in a summary of the call.

Biden raised the issue of Chinese technology exchange with US opponents.

"The president emphasised that the United States will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced US technologies from being used to undermine our national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment," the White House said.

Last year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of providing Russia with so-called "dual-use technology." That kind of technology has civilian uses yet can be easily and quickly converted to military use, too.

The United States placed sanctions on the China's Changsha Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute for allegedly providing satellite data on Ukraine, which was used by the Wagner mercenary group, a Russian supported and funded military group.

Biden and Xi also discussed the volatile situation on the Korean Peninsula, according to the White House. On Tuesday, North Korea tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The leaders also discussed trade and what the White House characterises as unfair practices.

"President Biden also raised continued concerns about the PRC's unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices, which harm American workers and families," the White House said.

Potential areas of cooperation, including the counternarcotics and AI regulation, also were discussed, according to the White House.